Rheinmetall hands over Gladius future soldier system to the German army 1103133.

Bodo Garbe, member of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Defence, symbolically handed over the Gladius to Lieutenant-General Bruno Kasdorf, Chief of Staff of the German Army, and Harald Stein, President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).

“The new IdZ-ES is an original, comprehensive, innovative solution. For the first time ever, it proved possible to implement an entirely new design for a solder system and get it to the troops. Thanks to Gladius, as we call it at Rheinmetall, German infantrymen can now play an active role in network-enabled warfare”, declared Bodo Garbe at the official handover ceremony for the system in Inzell, Germany.

Mr Garbe went on to note that “the availability and flow of information on the battlefield are at least as important as firepower, protection and mobility. IdZ-ES automatically furnishes each soldier with this information in near real time.” Praising the system’s technical features and the excellent cooperation between the Bundeswehr and the defence industry, Mr Garbe also pointed out that Rheinmetall had completed the project on time and on budget, “not something that can be taken for granted in complex defence projects.”